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Ed Yeates ReportingA deadly strain of bird flu could appear in the United States in the next few months as wild birds migrate from infected nations.
That's according to Homeland Security Secretary, Michael Chertoff. But he cautioned against panic, noting that the Agriculture Department has dealt with other strains of bird flu for years.
Utah will be sampling migratory birds this October, just in case an infected H5N1 bird shows up here. The state is within what's called the Pacific Flyway, which migratory birds travel on between Alaska and Canada.
Though it may be difficult to talk about migratory birds coming into to Utah with all this snow still on the ground, they'll be coming here along the Pacific Flyway later this year.
Several federal agencies say it's very possible a bird or birds infected with H5N1, will migrate along the Asian Flyway to Alaska this spring. There, they'll stay for the summer, possibly infecting other birds that will migrate along what is called the Pacific Flyway late summer and early fall.
Michael Marshall, DVM, State Veterinarian: "We certainly worry about the Pacific Flyway. They migrate down the western US to Mexico, and back and forth. And that could be a likely way of getting infected."
Just in case, Leslie McFarlane with State Wildlife Resources says her staff will begin taking throat swabs and fecal samples from 800 hunter harvest birds this October. They'll single out the Tundra Swan, Northern Pintail, Northern Shoveler, and the Green Winged Teal, which could be high risk birds.
Meanwhile, State Veterinarian Michael Marshall says 36-million dollars in additional funding, approved in Washington, will be used to beef up continuing monitoring of all sorts of things, including imports, birds in zoos, and commercialized flocks like chickens and turkeys, to keep them away from wildlife.
Michael Marshall: "Her in Utah, we have 400 veterinarians who are on the alert."
Influenza in birds has been around for a long, long time. But this new strain, H5N1, is a mutated villain, able to pass from bird to human. Fortunately, so far, it hasn't spread from human to human. Everybody hopes it stays that way.
